7 Things to Know About the Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite Mastercard

NerdWallet adheres to strict standards of editorial integrity to help you make decisions with confidence. Some of the products we feature are from partners. Here’s how we make money.
If you’ve been on the fence about signing up for the Barclaycard Arrival Plus® World Elite Mastercard®, its limited-time welcome bonus is something to consider: Enjoy...

If you’ve been on the fence about signing up for the Barclaycard Arrival Plus® World Elite Mastercard®, its limited-time welcome bonus is something to consider: Enjoy 70,000 bonus miles after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first 90 days.

1. You’ll need to charge $5,000 on the card in the first 90 days in order to get the 70,000-mile bonus. And of course, to come out ahead, you’ll need to pay off that $5,000 before interest charges take a bite out of your benefits. Official welcome bonus: Enjoy 70,000 bonus miles after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first 90 days.

2. You don’t have to worry about the Barclaycard Arrival Plus® World Elite Mastercard®’s annual fee for the first year. It’s $89 (waived first year).

3. Two miles per dollar earned in every spending category makes this a good card for people who shop more than they eat out or travel. Some cards, including the Hilton Honors American Express Card and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® pay more points per dollar spent on dining and travel than they pay when you shop for merchandise. The Barclaycard Arrival Plus® World Elite Mastercard® pays 2 miles per $1 on every purchase, including when you shop at your favorite department store or e-commerce site.

4. Each mile you earn is worth 1 cent toward travel, but just a half cent toward cash back and gift cards.

5. You redeem travel rewards in the form of statement credits. Unlike airline- and hotel-branded cards and points programs like Chase Ultimate Rewards® and American Express Membership Rewards, you don’t redeem miles through a travel booking site. Instead, you purchase travel anywhere you like using the card then trade your miles for a statement credit. The only catch: There’s a 10,000-mile minimum to redeem, which when applied will subtract $100 from your statement.

6. After you redeem miles, Barclaycard will reinstate 5% of those miles back into your account, marginally increasing the value of each mile.

7. You don’t get a free checked bag like you do with some airline-branded cards. For certain frequent travelers, this could make this Barclaycard less appealing. For example, if you regularly fly American Airlines and use one of it’s credit cards, you might save $30 each way on checked baggage fees. Five flights a year and you’re looking at a savings of $300 for yourself alone. Some cards, like Barclaycard’s American AAdvantage Aviator Red World Elite Mastercard, get a free checked bag for you plus up to three other people in your party, meaning a family of four that travels five times a year racks up $1,200 in savings that you’d pay out of pocket if you booked with the Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite Mastercard.